The special spring edition of the 11th Lujiazui Coffee Culture Festival kicked off on Friday at Lujiazui Central Green, bringing together over 150 brands in the heart of Shanghai's financial district.

Shanghai now has arguably the highest density of coffee shops globally, with more than 10,000 outlets. Its coffee culture is known for blending Western coffee traditions with rich Chinese heritage.

For international visitors like Firat Sahin from Turkiye, the festival's East-West fusion feels completely natural.

"In my country, we drink unsweetened black tea, and we also drink coffee regularly, so pairing coffee and tea is not strange to us at all. Tea, coffee, and all kinds of drinks should be mixed together," Sahin said. "Overall, this event is really great."

The festival features uniquely Shanghai-style innovations that have drawn long queues. Mingzhishan Coffee has sold nearly 300 of its signature gourd-shaped porcelain cold brews by midday, blending Jingdezhen porcelain craftsmanship with the coffee culture popular among Shanghai's youth.

Coffix Coffee's beef noodle-flavored specialty has become a viral hit, selling out every morning and even winning acclaim at the Melbourne Coffee Festival in Melbourne, Australia.

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Theater has launched two limited-edition drinks named after classic Kunqu tunes, with nightly performances held on the lake against Shanghai's iconic skyscraper skyline.

Running through May 31, the festival offers global visitors an immersive taste of Shanghai's vibrant, boundary-pushing coffee culture.

Li Junfeng contributed to this story.